(Houston, Texas) Sometimes the greatest ministries are born in life's darkest moments.
When we sat down with Velora Thomas, founder and CEO of Godly Girl Inc., we expected to hear the story of a successful nonprofit. Instead, we heard the story of a woman who simply said "yes" to God—long before she understood where that obedience would lead.
Today, Godly Girl Inc. is a thriving Houston-based ministry helping women deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ through mentorship, Bible study, prayer, and authentic community. But it didn't begin with a business plan or strategic vision.
It began with heartbreak.
"God gave me the vision."
When asked what inspired her to launch Godly Girl Inc., Velora didn't hesitate.
"People always ask me, 'What made you do this?' And it's always God. It's literally God. He gave me the vision."
At the time, Velora was navigating one of the hardest seasons of her life—a divorce she never imagined would become part of her testimony.
"I was going through a divorce," she recalled. "And the Lord said, 'I want you to start a call.'"
Her response?
"A call to talk about what?"
God's answer surprised her.
"He said, 'Talk about what I'm taking you through.'"
It didn't make sense.
She wasn't on the other side of her pain. She wasn't healed. She wasn't ready to teach anyone.
She was simply in the middle of the fire.
Yet she obeyed.
In May 2019, before Zoom became part of everyday life, Velora hosted her first online gathering with a handful of women.
She expected very little.
Instead, women showed up.
A lot of them.
"I actually thought it was humiliating," she admitted. "I cried through the first call."
She remembers telling the women exactly where she was emotionally.
"I feel like I'm at the bottom of a pit. I can't see myself getting out anytime soon...but I also feel like this is exactly where I'm supposed to be."
Even in the middle of overwhelming loss, something unexpected happened.
"There was a peace I'd never experienced before," she said. "My life felt like it was going up in flames, but I wasn't burning."
That honesty resonated.
The women didn't want polished answers.
They wanted someone willing to walk through suffering in real time.
"They said, 'We've seen people share after they've made it through. We've never watched someone walk through it while it's happening.'"
Velora had planned for one meeting.
God had other plans.
What started as a single Zoom call quickly multiplied.
Another call.
Then another.
Soon women were asking for prayer meetings.
Bible studies.
Testimonies.
Mentorship.
There wasn't even a name for the growing community.
"We just called them Velora's calls," she laughed.
Then a woman at church began calling her "Godly Girl."
"She told me, 'You're fun, but you genuinely love the Lord. You're a true godly girl.'"
The name stuck.
Years later, someone suggested turning the ministry into a nonprofit.
Velora's response was classic.
"I said, 'What's a nonprofit?'"
With the help of volunteers, paperwork, and a willingness to learn, Godly Girl Inc. officially became a nonprofit organization.
Looking back, she still sounds amazed.
"Women tell me all the time how much Godly Girl has blessed them. I always tell them, 'Thank God for giving me the vision because I didn't want it at the time.'"
"He Didn't Restore Me. He Renewed Me."
Perhaps the most powerful moment of our conversation came when Velora reflected on what God had actually done in her life.
She carefully distinguished restoration from renewal.
"People say God restored me. I don't say that."
Instead...
"He renewed me. He didn't take me back to who I was before the divorce. He brought me somewhere I'd never been before. I've never seen this woman before."
That renewed life has included unexpected blessings.
After moving to Houston as a single woman, God called her to become a foster mother.
Again, she questioned Him.
"I'm single. Why would You ask me to foster?"
God answered simply:
"I'm the Father."
Today, after fostering numerous children, Velora is preparing to adopt the little boy she's raised since he was four months old.
"I never thought I'd become a mother," she shared emotionally.
"I love my son with every part of my being."
She also became a homeowner, expanded Godly Girl Inc. into a growing ministry with in-person events and mentorship programs, and now finds herself sensing God calling her into yet another season of faith.
Holding Blessings Loosely
One of the themes that surfaced repeatedly throughout our conversation was surrender.
Velora shared a quote that's become especially meaningful in her own life.
"Hold loosely the blessings that God gives you because He may ask you to release them for something else."
For her, that has meant releasing relationships, expectations, and even the security of a long-held government career.
"It doesn't make sense," she admitted. "But everything God calls you to do requires trusting Him."
She believes that's how faith works.
"If it's something you can do in your own strength, God probably didn't call you to do it."
The Power of Community
Ask Velora what has sustained her spiritually, and her answer comes immediately.
Community.
"Everybody needs accountability."
She believes one of the greatest misunderstandings in modern Christianity is the idea that believers can flourish alone.
"We're supposed to know our neighbors," she said. "We're supposed to share meals, pray together, disciple one another, and walk through everyday life together."
She credits the women around her with helping her recognize when she's moving too fast, carrying too much, or drifting away from healthy rhythms.
"They'll tell me, 'It's time to slow down.'"
Sometimes she doesn't like hearing it.
But she knows it's love.
"We need people who love us enough to call us back when we're getting off track."
Faith Was Never Meant to Be Easy
Velora challenged the idea that following Christ is simply about receiving blessings.
"The Christian life isn't easy," she said. "It's daily dying to yourself."
She pointed to Jesus' own example of surrender.
"He didn't live an easy life. He lived a surrendered life."
Yet she believes every difficult season carries purpose.
"We have to be willing to go through the suffering because often we can't receive the blessing God has prepared until He's shaped us through the process."
Living Beyond What She Imagined
As our interview came to a close, I asked Velora whether she believes the transformation she's experienced is available to anyone.
Her answer was immediate.
"Absolutely."
God has no favorites, she said.
He simply invites His children to trust Him.
When we delight ourselves in Him, our desires begin to align with His.
And His plans, she believes, are always better than anything we could have imagined.
Looking back over the past several years—from divorce, to ministry, to motherhood, to a growing nonprofit—Velora can only describe her life one way.
"It's unimaginable."
And somehow, she believes God is only getting started.
